Why use this?

This is going to be a post about a camera equipment...so please spare yourself if you don't wish to be bored. Also, since I am a beginner to photography and dslr, this is meant for sharing information with those who are of the same category as I am - please ignore it if you don't think you are a beginner. The purpose is for sharing my thoughts on why a simple kit lens can be good enough for normal usage, thus avoiding the need of spending much more money on better lens of the similar focal length. 

If you have just gotten a dslr or am planning to get one, you will be familiar the term of a kit lens. I have heard how they have been dismissed as rubbish lens...slow, bad distortion, flares, fringing etc. For Nikon users, you would most probably be looking at the Nikon 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 VR DX. This is the current lens that I use together with the Nikkor AIS 28mm F2.8, Nikon E Series 35mm F2.5 (left in Singapore) and Nikon E Series 75-150mm F3.5 (all of these are legacy lens from my dad).

When I brought my camera for servicing last year, I was asked why I was using a kit lens on my camera body. It was probably just a nicer way of saying that this lens is rubbish and should not be used. I didn't tell the person that this lens costs lesser than the service fees he charged; the kit lens was bought second hand for S$120 and I never regretted purchasing it. To date, I have taken the most number of photos with it and it has served me well.

It took me a long time before I decided to purchase this kit lens. Prior to this lens, the 28mm lens was the widest lens I had and it was way too narrow for my liking on a crop sensor because I like taking landscape photos. While I have thoughts of getting a ultra-wide angle lens, I decided that I should try with a standard zoom lens before deciding if I really need an ultra-wide lens like the Tokina 11-16mm, since using a standard zoom lens will be a useful tool for learning the art of composition and framing. Though the Tamron 17-50mm F2.8 is a popular choice since it costs much lesser than the Nikkor 17-50 F2.8, it still cost a few hundred dollars more than the Nikon 18-55mm kit lens. The following factors influenced my decision in getting the kit lens eventually:

1) Cost of the kit lens- as an underpaid national serviceman who just finished his service and waiting to go to school, money was an issue. Since I am merely a hobbyist, I didn't see a reason why I should spend even more money when I wasn't sure if I really needed a better lens. There is always the danger of the 'buy-buy-buy (BBB) virus'.

2) It is the photographer and not the gear that makes the difference. I decided that using a 'not-so-good' lens will be beneficial in forcing oneself to know how to work within the limits of one's gears and knowing how to push them. Good photographers can take excellent photos even with simple gears - a stage I can only aspire to reach.

3) Technical reasons:

• all my other lenses use a 52mm filter thread. Since the kit lens uses the same filter thread, I need not purchase filters of different sizes. (52mm filters are generally cheaper as well). 
• Since I like landscape photos and one don't shoot landscape shots at F2.8, the idea of a fast lens lost its appeal. If it is street photography, my prime lens can be used instead. The same idea is employed for group shots in gathering with friends...you can't shoot at F2.8 because the depth of field is too thin. 

Having used this lens for more than 2/3 of a year, I am really satisfied with its performance. The sharpness is decent and the VR is useful when using slow shutter speed. Although it has some flaws (my 28mm thrashes it in terms of sharpness, distortion and chromatic aberrations), I have learnt to live with it. After all, I am no professional and only take photos out of interest. Do take a look at online reviews of this lens; it is highly rated for being 'value-for-money'. 

Hence, if you are thinking of upgrading your standard zoom lens while still in the same category as I am, it is a good idea to use the kit lens till you have reached a stage where you can no longer live with its limitation (probably by then you will have a better idea of knowing which area you are most interested in and will get a suitable lens for it). With the availability of software like Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom and DxO, corrections can be made to solve the distortion. Having good techniques for hand-held shots, together with the VR of the kit lens, is particularly useful for compensating the smaller aperture of the lens. Furthermore, with the presence of noise-reduction software and modern dslr body being capable of taking decent shots above 1,600 iso, it gives room for increasing the shutter speed even at smaller aperture under lowlight conditions. 

My camera is a piece of technology that is half a decade old that can't shoot anything above 1600 iso without it looking like a result of a handphone camera; I also only use Picasa to do minor adjustments for my photos. That being so, the kit lens has worked well enough for me even under these limitation. When will I stop using it then? Probably when it malfunctions, which might not be too long given how I use it even when it is raining...I may also stop using it when get my ultra wide angle lens but that won't be anytime soon.

Fuji S5 Pro, Nikon 18-55mm, Hoya CPL Filter
30mm, F10, 1/30s, ISO 100
Post-Processed with Picasa